Fake NBA Trade of the Day 6/12/16: Blake to Indiana

Every day, Pick and Popovich will post one fake trade and explain why it makes sense for every team involved to make it. There are no parameters beyond fitting within the salary cap. Sometimes the trades will involve stars, others role players. They are not grounded in actual rumors, they just make sense on paper. During the 2016 NBA Playoffs, each week will feature seven fake trades of one star player. This is Blake Griffin Week.

Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Indiana Pacers Receive:

George Hill Blake Griffin

Myles Turner

C.J. Miles.

Why Los Angeles would make this trade: Hill is the rare point guard with the size and shooting to play forward. He’d replace a lot of Blake’s playmaking, but still be able to capably fit the three-and-D mold the Clippers are looking for in a Griffin deal. Turner showed enormous potential as a rookie and should eventually grow into an excellent defender who can also hit three’s, giving the Clippers excellent spacing but an incredibly dangerous rim-protecting duo that can even switch out onto guards every now and then. Miles is just a nice shooter to have around, he can play good enough defense to stick around late in games, and he’d likely hold onto Turner’s spot in the closing lineup until he’s ready.

Why Indiana would make this trade: The Pacers don’t really have any direction as a franchise beyond having Paul George. A Griffin trade busts them out of their stagnation and gives them an identity. They’d have to do some serious work to fix the roster around that pair, but it’s the foundation of a championship team.